Please dont laugh!

[Anonymous]

OK..I have never really knew and was kinda scared to ask..So here it goes...When you see more then 1 loco is the lead loco under power? Or is all of the loco under power? Reason I ask is because they sell dummy locos..Reason why>?[?]

[rrinker]

Since you posted this in the model section, I assume you mean model locos.

You of course need at least ONE powered loco to pull the train. The bigger the train, the more power you need to move it, and keep it moving, so the prototype adds additional locos. The problem with a model comes in that the typical model loco can pull FAR more cars than the prototype could, AND unless you bought a gymnasium to build your layout, you won't be able to run 100+ car trains. Enter the dummy loco - if you want the APPEARANCE of a protoype multiunit consist, but don;t actually need the power to move the train, dummy units are a lot less expensive than a powered unit, simply because there's no motor or gears. You can put the dummy anywhere, in front of the powered loco, behind it, in the middle of the train (simulating a mid-train helper) or at the rear (simulating a pusher or, as the PRR liked to call them, a 'snapper').
Depending on your layout, you might indeed have a grade steep enough that it takes more than 1 powered loco to pull your train. This can get real challenging under DCC control where the head end loco is controlled by one person, and the helper by another, with no direct control between the two. If the helper tries to go too fast, they can pu***he cars off the track. If the helper goes too slow, they can cause the train to stretch out and 'stringline' off the track on a curve. Pretty much the same thing that happens on the prototype.

---Randy

[Anonymous]

Ok..Thanks..I dont think i`ll have that problem..Wont really have any steep track to go up...Always saw that in MR that alot of the layouts had more then 1 loco behind it!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

This can get real challenging under DCC control where the head end loco is controlled by one person, and the helper by another, with no direct control between the two. If the helper tries to go too fast, they can pu***he cars off the track. If the helper goes too slow, they can cause the train to stretch out and 'stringline' off the track on a curve. Pretty much the same thing that happens on the prototype.

Randy,
With DCC, you'd just do an "on the fly" consist the 2 loco's together and be controlled by 1 person, not 2. And incidentially, this is how it's done with the Prototype too, the lead loco's crew would be controlling the additional Loco's (even if they had crews) via the MU system, the other loco's crews would be along for the ride until the point the needed to split from the train and begin their own journey.

Now Steam prototypes are different, they did indeed have seperate crews who operated each engine of the train and it did get tricky trying to coorinate speeds between leads, mids and helpers.

Incidently, there is no set number of cars required for multiple engines, sometimes it's much more cost effective to add a loco to a train to move it to another location than to send it alone. hence you will sometimes see two or three loco's on the front of a small 10-15 car train.

Now to answer the original poster question about dummy's (MR related), there was a time when a powered engine cost more than an unpowered one, so people would run a powered Engine and several cheap unpowered Dummy's to simulate long trains. But now, Dummy's and powered units cost about the same, so most people just buy more powered units.

[johncolley]

Another good use for dummy locos is in the roundhouse or on some engine service tracks.

[rrinker]

Oh, all you modern modelers... [:D]

In the good old days, there was no such thing as MU. I don't anyone ever developed a system where one crew could control 2 or 3 steam engines at the same time from one set of controls...

But I was also referring to end of train helpers. Yes, I know now there are radio control systems, but prior to that, there was a seperate crew runnign the helper sont he rear of the train and they still had to coordinate train control with the head end via radio or whistle signals.

Yes, for multiple units on the head end, you'd certainly use the MU function of DCC and link all of them together. But for the helper that ties on to the rear - much more fun having a 'helper crew' who's job during the operating sesion is to help pu***rains up a grade, then run down to the bottom and wait for the next train. If you model a place that allows helpers behind the caboose, you can even model cutting off on the fly by removing the knuckle fromt he help engine's coupler.

--Randy

[BRJN]

Maybe you will want to laugh at this:

When I was a kid, I deciced that I knew no reason the powered engine had to be at the front of the train. Therefore there WAS no reason it must be so. So I put a bunch of Dad's dummy locomotives in front of the 'real engine'. The thing seemed to work out all right, even though the dummys wobbled badly moving around tight turns and over turnouts.

If some of a thing is good, more is better. I put the real engine in the middle of a train and set off 'to the next town'. Boxcars are not as heavy as dummy locomotives: they derailed at the turnouts and fell off the tracks on tight turns. [:(]

Moral: put the engine in front, and only push SHORT cuts of cars backwards.

[IRONROOSTER]

Some people use dummies for a sound system. Another use is for a camera system.
Enjoy
Paul

[Wdlgln005]

It's a good test of the trackwork to put dummies in front of the powered units. However, in Nscale, you're better off running 2powered units together! I tend to buy my GP's in pairs, & run them together. If one will pull 10 cars, 2 may pull 25. Results may vary on your layout, if you have enough space to run at least that many cars & units together. Take a good look at the Kato California Zephyr set! This is one great looking train!